12 Special
Later that day, while she was being discharged, the door of her room was practically barged open by a heavily heaving Nora. Nora got the information about Linda being admitted to the hospital today and she couldn't have been any more relieved. The past two days without any sign of Linda, made her feel so worried that she was starting to blame herself for any harm, had it happened to Linda and the expected baby.
Thankfully today she received an anonymous call that Linda was admitted to the nearby hospital and might as well be discharged today. So here she was, heaving heavily while watching the surprised faces of both Linda and the doctor. Tears stung her eyes as she got up from her bent knees and slowly made her way towards Linda.
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Linda was meanwhile going through the checkup to see for any other complications that might incur. While listening to the doctor's instruction on taking care of herself and the baby, their conversation was interrupted by the door barging open.
Looking up at the intruder, Linda was shocked to see the relieved and tiredly heaving and flushed face of Nora. What astonished her the most was that expression of relief that masked her face along with tears that adorned the corners of her eyes. Linda suddenly felt guilty for not having contacted Nora sooner. She seemed to realize that she might have scared Nora and made her feel responsible for getting suddenly lost without any contact.
When Nora stood in front of her, all she could see was relief and happy tears brimming her eyes. Before Nora could step forward anymore, she noticed the baby cradle near the patient's bed. Expectantly and questioningly, Nora moved towards the baby's cradle where she saw the baby sleeping peacefully in the cradle. Nora's eyes almost widened with both questioning and excitement, as she bent down a bit more to get a good look at the baby. She looked back at Linda, then at the baby, and finally back at Linda. When that questioning gaze fell upon her, Linda nodded her head in approval as she gave a small smile.
Nora held back a happy sob as she had her hands covering her mouth. Trying to get a hold of herself, Nora carefully took the baby in her arms and smiled when she noticed the cute chubby cheeks of the baby boy. That little nose and those chubby cheeks had her heart melt. When Linda came in front of Nora, she was astonished to see those happy tears in Nora's eyes. Linda hugged Nora as if trying to console her that she was alright and there was nothing to worry about, obviously keeping in mind not to squeeze the baby in between their hug. Pulling away after a while, Linda wiped the stray tears on Nora's cheeks.
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It was at that moment that Linda remembered their conversation a few days back.
"What will the baby call me, Linda?" Linda looked back at Nora and smilingly said, "He would call you aunt."
Hearing the answer that she wanted to hear, Nora couldn't be happier.
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Nora had come to regard Linda as her sister since she lived all alone. In the world of her loneliness, Nora found a person who could rely on her as well as the person on whom she could rely on as well, in the form of Linda. Nora had found a person whose problems she could hear and who was always ready to hear her problems as well. She found a companion like an elder sister in Linda and she couldn't have asked for more.
Linda, on the other hand, reciprocated all those thoughts and feelings similarly as well. In a way, both of them completed each other. A fallen vampire princess found her new home and companion Nora while a lonely human, with no family, found a companion she could regard as a sister. Their complementation was quite admirable and both of them were happy together.
Linda realized one thing by living in the human world. With her experiences with both the good and the evil in the bizarre human world, she had come to find her perspective of humans changed as well. Humans had been considered physically weak by the creatures of the night as herself, but living here had changed it all. She had learned that a creature need not be physically strong for survival. All it needs is a strong will to survive and fight. All it needs is empathy and varying emotions to co-exist in this world.
Linda found a sister-like figure who gave her a home and helped her throughout her pregnancy in the form of Nora. She found an elder brother figure who was always there to protect her and look out for her, in the form of the bar manager. Also, she had come to find a kind-hearted person with down–to–a earth personality as the business tycoon, Neil. Linda had hence developed a soft and respectable spot for humans in her heart. because what physically strong people couldn't have, an emotional creature like a human could obtain with his mindset.
